Speedway in India

[JamesHarris 390]

Been watching Back in Time for Birmingham tonight about the 1970's and there was a few seconds of what looked like speedway/grasstrack racing in India. Does anybody know any info on this?

[iris123 21,060]

Be interested to know if this can be seen online ? 

Has been asked before with no success. Sort of expected it to be during the British occupation of the country, especially pre war when it was very popular and seemingly meetings run in all 4 corners of the world. 70s seems less likely, but not impossible

[BL65 658]

I understand that the television programme focuses on a family who moved from India to Uganda before eventually settling in Britain, probably following the coup by Idi Amin in 1971.  Amin declared himself president, following which there was a period of ethnic persecution during his military dictatorship.  By 1971 most of the prosperous businesses and the wealth in Uganda were controlled by groups originating from Asia and Amin issued a decree expelling 50,000 British passport holders.  Many of these people of Asian origin relocated to Britain.  Grasstrack racing was popular in Uganda and Kenya during the 1960s and 1970s and it is likely that the brief clip shown in the programme is from the 1960s.

[iainb 5,108]

I've often come away from the Speedway looking like an Indian when they've not put enough water on the track!

[JamesHarris 390]

14 hours ago, BL65 said:

I understand that the television programme focuses on a family who moved from India to Uganda before eventually settling in Britain, probably following the coup by Idi Amin in 1971.  Amin declared himself president, following which there was a period of ethnic persecution during his military dictatorship.  By 1971 most of the prosperous businesses and the wealth in Uganda were controlled by groups originating from Asia and Amin issued a decree expelling 50,000 British passport holders.  Many of these people of Asian origin relocated to Britain.  Grasstrack racing was popular in Uganda and Kenya during the 1960s and 1970s and it is likely that the brief clip shown in the programme is from the 1960s.

Thanks. That would make more sense as the clip was shown during a part of the programme where they were talking about Idi Amin kicking the Asians out of Uganda. 

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv 10,710]

2 hours ago, JamesHarris said:

Thanks. That would make more sense as the clip was shown during a part of the programme where they were talking about Idi Amin kicking the Asians out of Uganda. 

How apt they chose a clip of speedway whilst highlighting an unpopular dictatorship